Thursday, August 4, 2022

Family Business Part 5: Reinforcements

 The latest in the life of Em De Mone... 


Reinforcements


Sixty-three stories above the Las Vegas Strip, the beady eyes of Niklaus Chambers bore into me. I knew he was not quite human but not quite supernatural either. Not knowing what I was dealing with terrified me more than I cared to admit. For lack of a better plan, I just stood and stared at him.

Shifting his weight, he ran a hand through his greasy hair and licked his lips. 

        I unnerved him. Good. I needed any advantage I could get. 

When he couldn’t take the silence any longer, he smiled like he knew things I didn’t,  “I’ll be damned if you aren’t the spitting image of Sarah. I know she’s a bit trampy, but I didn’t think she had any daughters, just a bunch of unruly sons. So tell me, what De Mone did you come from?”

I wanted to tilt my head and give him a quizzical look, but I just stared. It was a busy Saturday night at the Foundation Room nightclub. Everything appeared normal, except that some creepy guy, who wanted to gossip about my family, had me and tonight's headlining performer cornered in a section of the club. Who did this guy think he was? 

Poor Renee sat on a nearby couch with her hands clasped in her lap, looking nowhere in particular. It was clear she’d rather crawl into a hole and disappear. If I was going to get us out of this, I needed a better plan than staring. 

I had two tiny bottles of potion in my apron. One could wipe a memory and one could cause a distraction, but neither of those was a viable option with so many humans around, so I took the customer service route.

My lips twisted into an award-winning congenial smile, “Before we get to know each other, Mr. Chambers, the star of our show is needed in the back as intermission is nearing its end. I’m sure you can appreciate the business that’s in full swing here. ”

“Of course,” he said, grudgingly stepping out of the way. 

Renee got up, wringing her hands together, and mouthed thank you before she hurried off.

“I’ll find you later if I need to, darling,” Nicklaus Chambers called after her. 

Some of his spittle landed on my cheek and I resisted the urge to wipe my face and run screaming, “I’m sure we can work everything out and there won’t be any reason to bother Miss Renee again,” I said, palming the distraction potion in my apron. Just in case. “Now, please take a seat. We don’t want to attract any unwanted attention.”

“Of course not,” He conceded and sat on one of the surrounding couches.

“Thank you,” I said. My public persona shining. “It seems you have me at a disadvantage. You know an awful lot about me, but I don’t know much about you. How about you fill me in?” 

“Now we’re talking. I knew it was just a matter of time before you saw it my way. But please understand, I know everything about your friend…Renee…from the car she drives to the gym she frequents. I even know when she takes her cat shit to the trash, so you fuck with me and I fuck with her. Are we clear?” He licked his lips again and studied me like prey.

“Um…” But I couldn’t finish my thought.

Without warning, there was a void and my head throbbed. A dark chasm filled the room. Coolness seeped in and coated everything, even the people, with a thickness. The entire vibe of the room changed and shifted as if a storm rolled in. I’d never felt anything like it. And my life had been filled with strange and unusual happenings. 

Suddenly, I knew it was my family’s power, and it was connected to me. The reinforcements my grandpa Paddy promised to send. Idly I wondered if it was my dad. Had he finally returned? Would I meet him for the first time, right now? 

But it wasn’t him. 

It was her. My aunt and doppelganger. Sarah De Mone. 

Dressed and all black, she was sleek and sliced through the darkness, clearing an unseen path around her. Her chiseled features were expressionless, but her dark eyes flashed with power.

“Well well, if it isn’t Little Nikki Chambers,” she said upon arrival, “I didn’t know you frequented such places.” 

“Ah…Sarah,” He sat back, steepled his hands, and leered at her like she was dessert, “You’re not the De Mone I wanted, but an exquisite happenchance for sure. And I know it’s been a long time, so you may not know I go by Niklaus now.”

“It hasn’t been nearly long enough, and you’ll always be Little Nikki Chambers to me.” Her frosty words cut through the air, “What are you doing here? Harassing two young women? It’s a big no-no.” 

“Are you still fucking Richard?” He spat. She unnerved him much more than I did. 

Sarah’s expression never changed, but she took a seat across from him, sat back, and sighed. “See, this crass immature nonsense is exactly why you’re still, and always will be, Little Nikki Chambers. Now I’m going to ask you again, why in the fuck are you here harassing my niece and her very human friend?” 

The two stared at each other for a minute, and I had no idea what to do. I sort of swayed a bit. Most of me wanted to run and hide, but family and power kept me rooted. 

Sarah gave me a tired smile and broke the silence first, “Em, would you please bring me a glass of pinot noir and my companion another of whatever he’s drinking? Clearly, this is going to take longer than I thought, and it’s ready been a long day.” 

I nodded; happy for even a moment of reprieve. Part of me hoped she handled all this while I was gone. I put the drink order in and I pawned all my tables off on others. Baffled and completely distracted by this evening, there was no way I could focus on anything but the Chambers guy and this family business. I stood at the bar waiting. Instead of biting my nails, I watched from afar and honed my Intentional Hearing.

“Look…Niklaus,” Sarah leaned forward, her eyes shot daggers at the man in front of her, “Not only are you messing with my niece and a human, a prominent well-known human in this town, but your demon energy is off the charts. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I will find out. And when I do, you’d better hope you’re on the right side of the Demon Codes. Otherwise, the consequences will be dire.”

He mirrored her, only he didn’t hold a candle to her confidence. “Look Sarah, I like you and don’t want to see you get hurt, at least not unless I’m the one doing the hurting,” he licked his lips. Even I shuddered from the bar, “but heed my warning. It’s been a long time since the De Mones ran things around here, and they aren’t the main act in town anymore. 

In case you haven’t noticed, the town has evolved over the last decade. While you and your family have been enjoying the sunny side of the suburbs, the city people have had to resort to drastic measures to survive. I’ve been the one to help them, and I can assure you, that my Demon Codes are up-to-date and all within the confines of your bylaws. It would serve you best if you got out of my way. This town doesn’t belong to your family anymore.”

Sarah paused, her icy expression unwavering, “That’s the message you want me to relay to my family? Those are the exact words and phrases you want me to use when Paddy asks? Or Bass calls? And he will be calling.”

I couldn’t stop my mind from racing. My dad would be calling? I thought he was coming home. I thought I would meet him soon. 

I blinked and my drinks were ready. Thoughts of my dad disappeared as I grabbed my tray and headed back. 

 As I returned to the table, two men from my family’s motorcycle club, flanked me on either side. I set the drinks down, gave a smile-nod, and inched away from whatever volatile situation was about to take place.

“Yes, that’s exactly what I want you to tell them,” Niklaus Chambers said, “Now I suggest you take your niece with you and go.”

Sarah’s eyes pierced into her adversary and her voice hissed, “I would think long and hard about your position and how you intend to act going forward.”

He opened his mouth to respond, but she shook her head ‘no’ and raised her glass, “I will be taking Em with me, and you will agree to stand down without harming anyone, human or otherwise.”

He broke into a toothy grin and gave an uneasy laugh, “You know what, Sarah, as of this moment, I will agree to not cause physical harm to any member of your family. Today.” He stood and adjusted his suit coat. “If things do not change drastically in 24 hours, I will not make any promises about our future interactions,”  He threw several hundred dollar bills on the table, “That should cover all expenses. The rest goes to the staff.”

We watched as he stalked off. All his low-life goons, in and out of the shadows, followed him.

“I’m sorry this came to your place of work tonight,” Sarah said, patting the seat next to her, “But you’re safe now.”

I sat as Renee stepped back on stage, clearly, she’d overcome her nerves and was ready to shine again. 

“What about her?” I asked.

 “Your friend will be fine. I spoke with her and told her some of our guys would be keeping an eye on her.”

“Thank you,” I said, “I hate that she got dragged into this.”

Sarah studied me. I wanted to fidget, but I didn’t.

“You know Renee, told me you kept your cool and got her out of there first. That’s impressive,” she said and paused to take a sip of her wine, then leaned closer, “And a very De Mone thing to do. We are known for our stoicism. Never let them know what you’re really thinking. Let them guess. It’s much scarier.” 

I held her gaze and nodded. She was letting me in, and all of a sudden, I belonged. For a short spell, we sat engrossed in our own company and the music. When the melody stopped, she leaned toward me,  “I wasn’t kidding. I’m taking you with me. I’ve already cleared it with your boss. You’re off the rest of the night and the next few days. What do you say we get outta this stuffy joint, belly up to a bar, drink whiskey and talk shit about your dad?” She grinned at me, something I’d yet to see her do. 

“First round’s on me,” I beamed back at her and jumped up. Not only, was I long overdue for some answers, but I could use a whiskey after tonight’s hassle, “Let’s go.” 

 

To Be Continued


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Regards, Aspen ✌️

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Part 6: So It Begins


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2 comments:

  1. I wasn't expecting this line to end as it did, "Shifting his weight, he ran a hand through his greasy hair and licked his lips. I unnerved him". That seemed a lot more like a creepy old guy trying to be sexually suggestive to a woman, at least that's the image the line paint for me.

    I really want to know how a distraction potion works. Is it something you get someone to drink? If so, what does it do? If not, then is it something you throw? How long do we have to wait until we find out what it does?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love your perspective! When I see a man trying to intimidate a woman with sexual aggression, I see a weak man unnerved by a woman. Maybe I'm giving him too much credit and he's just letch. 😉

      This potion is activated by throwing. Toss is to the ground and things around become confusing and distracting. And honestly, I don't think we see it being used, so I may need to add that in one of the last three segments! 🤔

      Thank you so much for stopping by! ✌️

      Delete

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